Home For Christmas
by emmaplodocus
Summary: Kurt reaches out to Blaine. The happiest time of the year can also be the loneliest. One-shot.


This is centred around Christmas. Yes I know its summer, this is just how my brain works. This isn't canon, this is my first fanfic ever so I just focused on getting a feel for writing with someone else's characters. Just testing the waters :)

_I hope you enjoy!_

xxxxx

"I can't wait to go home for Christmas!" David grinned. "The work load has been rough this year. I need a break. And food. Lots of food."

"Yeah well I can't wait to get some sun for Christmas." Wes complained. He was sat wearing a scarf and two hoodies, _inside_.

"You are such a whimp, you're like the only person in this entire school who hasn't been in a snowball fight. Even Kurt had one with me and I had to wait for him to moisturise for twenty minutes afterwards." Blaine smirked lightly at Kurt who shrugged and pouted unnecessarily.

"If I stopped you would hate me."

Wes and David both stood up instantly, "We're off before he tells you he could never hate you."

"I can't handle hearing it again."

"Ditto," Wes smirked and clapped Kurt on the shoulder bidding him a Merry Christmas. He pulled Blaine off to the side for a second, David was trying to cast them secretive glances, he obviously knew what they were talking about. Kurt wondered, but he wouldn't push.

He took his boyfriends hand after their friends had left, "are you okay?" Blaine had spent the last days before the holidays laughing and joking, he looked happy, but Kurt knew the hard way that looking happy wasn't a reflection on feeling it.

"I'm fine. Christmas just isn't my favourite time of the year, that's all."

"I'm sorry." He brought their interlinked fingers together and kissed Blaine's hand sweetly. "You're welcome round mine over Christmas you know? If you want to get away from your family…"

He knew Blaine's dad was homophobic, and his mum was just indifferent to everything he did, but that was all he knew. He wanted his boyfriend to open up to him, but he'd just offered a way in to the conversation and received a 'thank you' in reply. Blaine obviously wouldn't be opening up tonight. That was okay. As long as it happened eventually. Kurt was terrified of scaring him off by pushing too hard.

xxxxx

"I'll miss you." They hugged tightly, Kurt didn't board at Dalton, he stayed at home but he had gone in on the last day of school and spent it all with Blaine when he could have technically have left at lunch. He had walked Kurt out to his car.

"I hope you like your presents."

Blaine smiled, "they were wrapped to nicely to open!" Kurt had used ribbons and bows and put glitter inside his Christmas card. It was probably a good job he wouldn't be with him when he opened _that_.

Kurt was bursting with excitement to spend two full weeks at home without travelling an thirty minutes to and from Dalton everyday but he didn't want to show exactly how thrilled he was, he knew spending two weeks at home wasn't going to be that enjoyable for Blaine. Every single phone call they shared he would remind Blaine he was welcome anytime, remind him he was wanted.

"You should go, it's starting to snow a bit, I don't want you driving if it gets heavy."

"I'll be fine." Inside his stomach was flipping, this was his boyfriend, showing he cared. Blaine's hand was on Kurt's neck, moving his scarf aside, he thumb stroking underneath his jaw line and tilting their lips to meet. It was a slow but passionate kiss, much like their first and neither could prevent the smiles from spring up on their lips at the soft contact.

"I'll see you soon."

One last kiss was shared between them through Kurt's open window before he drove off. Stood in the near empty car park Blaine shoved his hands into his pockets and tilted his head up, small snowflakes resting on his skin as he whispered to no one, "not soon enough."

xxxxx

Kurt walked through his front door and grinned, yelling to his step-brother who was putting the tree up in the living room "don't you dare decorate that tree without me!" Finn almost knocked it over as he jumped and Kurt laughed.

"I would never expect you to let me help with something so important."

"Oh you can help, as long as you put things exactly where I tell you to."

Finn smirked, "you'll need me because you can't reach the top."

"He's got you there son." Burt smirked. Beside him Carole was laughing softly, it made Kurt beam. Their first Christmas together. He was determined it was going to be great. Originally he thought in a selfish way he might miss it being just him and his dad, but he found that having Carole and Finn around, was nice, homely. His dad though, was the real reason Kurt felt this way, because he looked so happy. For a few years after his mum died, Christmas had never been bad, but it had always been lacking, it took some getting used too. Carole was amazing, and she brought a smile back to his dads face, so Kurt was determined that this Christmas was going to be just as fulfilling for them as well, after their family loss.

He spent that night singing and decorating the tree. Which looked amazing. Over the next few days he baked Christmas cake and biscuits with Carole and he and Finn spent a lot of time with the glee club, even doing a couple of Christmas concerts,

It was amazing.

Kurt scrolled through his phone contacts on Christmas day, excited to talk to Blaine. He hoped the boy wouldn't be too busy to answer.

"Hello?"

"Blaine! Merry Christmas!"

"Kurt! Thanks you too!"

"I wanted to ring you today, you're not busy are you?"

"No, I'm glad you called. I was going to call you tonight. I didn't know what you would be doing."

"We've had breakfast, opened presents and now me and Carole are doing Christmas dinner while Finn tries to teach dad how to play his new video game, which dad loves considering I was never interested in them. That also means he's never had any practice though." Kurt smiled at the soft laugh he received. "Thank you for gifts you got me – they were way too much you shouldn't have spent all that money. And that scarf, its gorgeous I'm scared to wear it. I am however, wearing the pendant." It was a silver one, with quite a thick chain to it, a simple music note dangling from it.

"I glad you liked them. I'm wearing one of the shirts you got me now, and I loved the bag. I opened your card _on my bed_ by the way. Just thought I would point that out." Kurt chuckled. "Oh and I hope you don't mind me saying so but that book you got me, looks terribly boring."

They both laughed. For a joke Kurt had wrapped up a copy of the first Harry Potter book for his obsessed boyfriend and had attached a note to it, 'I know you've never read this, you might like it.'

"I'm so glad you liked them. I missed you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, how about you? I really miss you."

Kurt wanted to ask more specifically about how his boyfriends Christmas was going but he was very good at dodging questions and usually just stated 'everything's fine, stop worrying about me.'

"Kurt?"

"One second Carole's calling me…" he moved his phone from his face and walked out his room, sticking his head over the banister. "Yeah?"

"Come and help me with dinner, the other men are useless!"

He laughed softy. "Okay. I'm on the phone, one sec." He brought his phone back up to his face again and as he did so the display caught his eye and the name thereread 'Blaine - Dalton.' He had obviously dialled Blaine's room number and not his mobile by mistake, they were next to each other after all…but Blaine had answered…so that meant he was in his room. _At school._

Kurt felt sick.

"Hey Blaine?"

"Hey."

"What the fuck are you doing at school?"

"I, what?"

"I've just noticed that I rang your room phone by mistake. You answered it. You said you had plans."

"I do."

"Not by yourself over Christmas you don't. Have you been there the entire holidays?" The silence was enough of an answer and Kurt's stomach clenched in pain. "It's a thirty minute drive to my house, I'm giving you ten to pack, there won't be any traffic and the roads are clear. If you refuse to leave and aren't here in forty minutes I'm coming to get you. No way are you spending any more of Christmas by yourself."

"No Kurt its okay really."

"Blaine stop it. Come and spend Christmas with me, I care about you. You absolutely can not spend it alone anymore."

"I'll feel so bad just imposing. It's _Christmas._"

"Exactly."

"Seriously I'm fine. Its Christmas day, I'll come and see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Pack your bags for the entire holiday, even bring your school work. Drive safe. Forty minutes Blaine or I will come and get you myself." He hung up the phone and realised his hands were shaking

He had stayed at school for he Christmas holidays. His parents were that bad. And he had lied about it. How could Kurt not have noticed? There was no wonder Blaine refused to dwell on the subject.

His eyes stung as he made his way downstairs thinking only about how it must feel to hate your own home so much you would rather spend the holidays alone.

"Oh Kurt honey thank god! I made Finn stop helping he was so useless."

He laughed but it fell off his face sooner than it should have. He sat at the table in front of his dad. "Blaine is on his way."

"What? Now? I know you guys are going strong but isn't he with his family right now?"

"No! When I rung him, I accidentally rung his room phone at Dalton, and he answered it. He's staying at school over Christmas alone, I told him to come straight over. I made him. That's okay right?"

"Of course it is no one should be alone now especially a kid." Carole's hand on his shoulder was immensely comforting. His dad looked furious. Kurt knew they were both as horrified as he was about this.

"So you didn't know he wasn't going home?"

"No."

"What's wrong with his home life Kurt?" His dad's tone was telling him to tell him, that it was important and his eyes burned and his stomach clenched because he honestly _didn't know._

"I don't know. He closes up whenever I try to talk about it. Wes and David don't know either. He doesn't talk about it. I shouldn't have believed him when he said he was going home. I mean I know the rough picture – his dad is homophobic and Blaine doesn't fit into his perfect lifestyle. But leaving him alone, on Christmas. I didn't know it was that bad."

"Its not your fault sweetheart."

"I'm going to kill his father."

Any further violent outbursts were countered by a knock at the door. Kurt rushed to open it, Blaine was there, he looked really uncertain, something that was not usually on his face. He was normally so confident, so certain, never awkward like this.

"Hi Kurt." Kurt seized the small suitcase and carry bag Blaine had with him and pulled it inside, when he saw Blaine had yet to move he pulled the boy in too by the collar of his coat. The front door slammed and Kurt threw his arms around his boyfriend's body. "I'm so sorry Blaine."

Burt and Carole made their way over, Carole hugged him and Blaine looked like he had never been hugged by an adult before, Burt clapped his shoulder and Blaine just stood there looking uncomfortable.

"I, I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, especially since this is your first Christmas together but Kurt insisted…"

Burt stepped forward, his authority was key here, he would probably be the only one to make Blaine listen. Kurt had faith that if anyone could fix this, it would be his dad. "You should have come sooner. I'm horrified to find out you were willing to spend this time alone when there's people who want to spend it with you. But for today, we're not going to talk about it because I don't want to upset you. We will talk about it though, understand?" Blaine nodded. "Good. Now make yourself at home. You've been here enough, you know where everything is."

"Oh hey Blaine what are you doing here?"

Kurt squeezed his boyfriend's hand. "He's staying with us Finn."

Finn stared for a few seconds and shrugged. He liked Blaine, having him here would make Kurt happy. Though judging by the look on their faces, it wasn't Kurt that needed cheering up. "Mum when is dinner ready?"

xxxxx

Blaine had helped Kurt and Carole cook dinner. He was awkward at first and unsure but he relaxed soon enough, and Kurt really hoped that some of that ease within the boy who was dancing and singing round his kitchen right now was real.

Dinner was everything Kurt had wanted it to be – loud, and funny and warm. A proper family meal. Sometimes he would discreetly lay a hand on Blaine's knee trying to reassure him. They watched three Christmas films that night. Burt and Carole snuggled on a sofa, Finn in one armchair and Kurt and Blaine laying next to each other on another holding hands.

Kurt fell asleep before the end of the last movie, it looked like everyone else was nearing bed time too, apart from Finn who always stayed up ridiculously late and had just made his way through and entire box of Christmas chocolates.

"You should wake him up." Blaine was startled for a second by Burt's voice, and he knew that everyone else had seen him jump, they looked far to amused. He had been staring at Kurt for god knows how long. Beautiful Kurt who had instantly invited him into his home,

"Kurt, wake up." Blaine nudged him awake.

"What?"

"You fell asleep."

"Did you wake me up just to tell me that?"

Blaine laughed.

"You should go to bed kid, you can have a lie in tomorrow, you'll need your energy for board game day."

"Board game day?"

Burt smiled, "that's what we do on our boxing days, it's madness. You'll see."

"Dad…Can Blaine sleep in my room?"

"Absolutely not. He's sleeping in Finn's."

Blaine shot a quick glance at Finn. "Is that okay? I'm okay on the sofa you know. I used to go camping a lot, I can sleep anywhere."

"It's cool dude."

"Worth a shot." Kurt smiled softly and leant down gently pressing a kiss to Blaine's mouth – just a quick one.

Blaine whispered a soft and sincere "thank you" in return. He was too scared to kiss Kurt back – in front of his dad anyway, and his cheeks warmed considerably as he met Burt's eyes after watching Kurt ascend the stairs to his room,

"I, sorry." Burt didn't look mad, he was understandably just worried that his teenage son and his boyfriend sharing the same house would result in the worlds first ever male pregnancy. Next to him Carole was hiding her grin.

Blaine stood up, awkwardly in front of them, he wanted to thank them, to show them how grateful he was but he couldn't get the words to come out.

Carole it seemed read his mind, "It's okay sweetie, you don't have to thank us." Burt nodded next to him and then Finn clapped him on the back.

"You like video games?"

A smile found his way onto his face, "Yeah, but don't let Kurt know how much. It will disappoint him."

"Come on. We aren't going to bed yet. Kurt always goes way to early."

Blaine sent one last look at the parents of his boyfriend and of the boy who was dragging him upstairs to sleep in his room, despite being gay and despite being the boyfriend of his stepbrother, and offered them a quiet thank you before following for a four hour zombie killing marathon that Finn kicked his arse at.

It was the best Christmas he had ever had.

They went to bed in the early hours that night but Blaine still couldn't sleep, he practically jumped a mile when Finn's voice cut through the silence – he thought he had fallen asleep almost instantly.

"Dude, I can practically hear you thinking…are you uncomfy?"

"I'm fine. It's just, I'm sorry for ruining your Christmas."

"Don't be thick. I've had a great day, I wouldn't want you by yourself and if Kurt had found out after today that you had spent it alone he would have exploded. If Burt says you're welcome here he means it. Everyone's glad you are. Now go to sleep."

xxxxx

Boxing day was madness. They ate nothing but junk food and did nothing but watch films and play every board game in the household. It was brilliant, hilarious.

It was family bonding time like Blaine had never experienced.

Unfortunately, it ended and the day after Burt was sitting everyone apart from Finn down around the table. For what Blaine had been dreading.

"Blaine. I know you don't want to do this but you have to. I want you to tell me, I know you haven't told Kurt yet but I'm not going to let you tell him first now."

"Dad why? It will be so much easier for him."

"I'm sorry but if Blaine's hiding something big he will be able to convince you to not tell me. You have a knack for thinking you can handle things by yourself Kurt."

Kurt scowled, but knew it was true. Blaine had been silent the entire morning, he knew this was coming but it didn't mean he wanted to accept that, he was nervous and he felt sick.

"I don't know where to start..."

Carole smiled at him, "why don't you tell us about Christmas, maybe work back a bit?"

Blaine swallowed. "The first year I was at Dalton I spent it with Wes. Then David the next. This year…their families are going on holiday. Each of them offered me to go with them, but it's bad enough being at someone else's for Christmas there's no way I could go on holiday with them too." His cheeks were heating up considerably, he was embarrassed. "I think they each got the impression I'd be with you," he looked at Kurt who's soft eyes were fixed on his intently, "I just didn't, discourage that belief. They'll be furious with me when they find out I lied."

"Rightly so."

He flinched at the scold and just sat there. He had never spoken about this before, he didn't know what to do, where to start. Kurt was trying to help him, he knew that, but he was hoping that he would have softened to the reasons why he hadn't said anything. The other boy knew what it was like, being mistreated but being too proud, too humiliated, too stupid to ask for help and he regretted the words "you're one to talk" as soon as they left his mouth.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Please don't be annoyed at me. I should have told you, or I should have gone with Wes or David for the holidays but you know what its like to not want to talk about this stuff..."

"Boys come on, don't argue. Carry on Blaine."

"I'm sorry. I don't, this is, urgh." Blaine put his head in his hands and he felt Kurt run a hand through his hair soothingly. He was grateful for the touch.

"My dad hates me and my mum doesn't care. I was bullied at school. I'd get beaten up quite regularly and nobody cared. Dad always just thought I deserved it. My fault for being gay and all that." His head was still down and he missed the fire in Burt's eyes. "One day he wanted to talk to me about my grades, they were all great – no friends, lots of spare time – apart from English. Which I was failing. The teacher, she was homophobic. She'd fail me on everything she could for stupid reasons, I borrowed essays from other people in the class and would compare them and it was just so obvious what she was doing. The bullies loved her because any chance to humiliate me in class she just took. Eventually, I took all of my work to the other English teacher, and he was so nice and he agreed with me – about what she was doing. He confronted her, and she tried to pass it off _English is subjective_ but she, well she left school in the end. I told my dad that I wouldn't be failing for long, because all of this had been sorted out now. He was furious about it. I still don't understand now why he was. We got into a massive fight about it, and I was just screaming at him to stop being a hypocrite because he was no better and he didn't care when I came home bleeding so why did he care about this? I think it was because he thought I brought it on myself for not being able to defend myself, because I was gay or something."

Kurt was now feeling sick as well, it was bad enough being bullied by everyone else, but someone who was a teacher as well? It was sickening.

"He just told me to grow up and get out of his sight. After all this…a few weeks later, I got beaten up really badly. I ended up in he hospital. I don't, _please_ don't make me tell you what they did to me. It was humiliating…I'll just say they made it very obvious it was a gay hate crime. The next day, dad gave me the information for Dalton. But he made it very clear that he was against sending me to a school full of guys, me running from a very widely known gay hate crime would be an admission I was gay so it was a choice between running and staying in a town and in a house where everyone hates me playing straight. Obviously I chose Dalton, and dad told me what a disappointment I was, how I deserved everything and how if I went, that would be it, I wouldn't be his son anymore."

Kurt was hugging him and only then did Blaine realise his shoulders were shaking and his eyes were wet.

"Dad doesn't care what I do as long as I stay out of trouble. He pays for me because it makes him feel better and I have to go home for the summer when Dalton closes, which is horrible. We just avoid each other. My first year at Dalton I called them at Christmas and my mum just said to me 'but why can't you stay at school for the holidays?' I think that's plain enough. I never called home since, I've even deleted their numbers from my phone. I have enough money for an apartment this year when I turn eighteen and leave school, I wont have to go home again. After that phone call, I was a mess, David barged into my room and found me, and that's how he knew about me being alone over Christmas."

"Blaine," Burt deliberately wasn't commenting on how obviously upset he was because that clearly wasn't what he needed right now. "Do you want me to talk to your dad?"

"No."

"Okay. Look at me. Blaine I'm about to ask you a question and you're going to answer me honestly, okay?"

Blaine nodded.

"When you're home, does he hit you?"

"No." Burt's eyes were burning into his own, trying to decide if he was lying or not.

"Has he ever?"

Blaine looked down and stuttered and that was everything Burt needed.

"Son of a bitch."

Kurt had yelped upon Blaine's admission. "What? You should have told me!"

"You're being a hypocrite again." Blaine was being bitchy, but he was too emotionally drained right now to care.

"This isn't about me."

"It's true and you know it. How long was it before you told your dad about being constantly shoved into lockers? About the bruises all over your back?"

"You've seen his back?"

"Burt not the time." Carole hissed.

"It was bullying, it wasn't child abuse from someone who is supposed to love you!"

Blaine abruptly stood up and locked himself in the bathroom.

"Poor boy," Carole whispered. She rubbed Kurt's back who felt like he was going to burst into tears and Burt looked like he was ready to kill Blaine's father.

"Blaine sweetheart, Blaine I'm sorry please come out."

When he did his face was red and it was clear he wished no one to comment on that. Kurt flung himself at his boyfriend who felt instantly comforted at the hug. He returned to the kitchen table and sat rigidly.

"I'm sorry I should never have shouted like that in your home especially after everything you have done for me and Kurt I never, ever should have shouted at you, I'm so sorry."

"Kurt was a hypocrite Blaine. The bigger the secret the harder it is to tell. It was like pulling teeth trying to get him to talk."

"I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you." Blaine was pleading with his boyfriend, "it's not as easy as you might think. To ask for help. To admit that your family like to pretend you don't exist."

"Blaine you need to tell me about the time he hit you."

"First summer after Dalton. He told me I was a coward for running and I told him he was a coward for shipping me off somewhere rather than look me in the eye. And he punched me." Kurt cursed under his breathe, calling Blaine a coward had been a low blow, he knew the boy regretted running, though he of course had no idea he was running from so much.

"We should call the police."

"You have no proof. Please don't."

Burt hugged the boy and it only seemed to make him cry harder. "Go and get some sleep. Thank you for talking to us. I'm never letting you go back to that bastard. You're safe here Blaine."

xxxxx

"What's this?" Blaine looked at the small box that Burt had just thrust into his hands confused. It had been two days since the mortifying ordeal of spilling his guts. He did feel somewhat better for it, but he also felt like an idiot.

"It's a late Christmas present."

Blaine looked to Kurt confused but Kurt just shrugged because he didn't know what it was either.

Blaine opened the box and blinked. It was a key.

"I don't understand."

"If you felt like you couldn't go home for Christmas then that makes me uncomfortable. Because you're only a kid. And there might be another time when you're spending a holiday, or even a night alone. There might be a time when you're scared or when you have nowhere to go. And kids should always have a safe place to go. That is a key to this house. You put it on your keychain and you know you're welcome here any time that you like."

"Are you serious?"

"Any time. Unless you cheat on Kurt, then you run."

Kurt flung his arms around his dad. "Dad this is wonderful, thank you so much."

"I can't even talk right now." Blaine moved to hug Burt as well.

His own family didn't even want him in his own home, but that didn't matter – because this was his family now. He just had to find a way to repay them. Letting himself in to cook them all a surprise dinner would probably be a good place to start.

xxxxx

_A/N: So yeah. My first ever dabble at fanfic. I welcome honest constructive criticism so please let me know what you think. This was a warm up, I want to write a story with Kurt and Blaine but didn't want to launch right into it straight off. _

_I have a fictionpress account and a tumblr (happiest place on earth by the way) if you would like either, just ask :) I'm not putting them here, I don't want to be googleable – I didn't keep myself anonymous on fictionpress and I wish I had, so I'm going to do that here instead._

_Thank you so much for reading!_

_Also it took me like 100 times to upload this, not a very nice initiation into fanfiction!_


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